In the past couple of months, there’s been discussion over having a new American military base in the Western Balkans. Recently, Kosovo volunteered to have the base built on its soil.

The proposal, on behalf of the government of Pristina, came forward from defense minister Armend Mehaj, after meeting with Deputy Secretary of State, Colin Kahl, at the Pentagon.

Mehaj believes that the base would “contribute significantly to peace and regional stability”.

Rustem Berisha, former minister of Kosovo’s security forces, hailed the relationship with the United States as “special” while reinforcing the idea that it would bring “enduring stability for the region”.

“I am more than certain that the opening of this military base would increase security and stability in Kosovo and in the region”, he declared during an interview for Euronews Albania.

According to him, US military presence would simmer down irredentist claims, as well as Russian influence.

Bondsteel, the largest American base in the Balkans, is located in Ferizaj and operates under the command of the Kosovo Force, broadly known as KFOR, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

According to a report published by Global Research, the United States has 800 military bases across 170 countries.